Our Staff

Ian Barnett

Senior Minister

Ian Barnett

Senior Minister

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In 2008 Ian was appointed Rector of our Parish, with responsibility for Figtree Anglican Church and our historical Soldiers’ and Miners’ Memorial Church located in Mt Kembla. Ian’s role is leading the mission and vision of the church, and putting in place under God, strategies to see our church have an ever expanding influence for the Kingdom of God, in both our local community and across the nations. With his great passion and heart for seeing people come to faith, Ian is committed to continuing to faithfully and with an adventurous and compassionate spirit, serve God in this significant position of leadership. Ian is married to Rhonda. They have 3 adult children (all married) and 6 grandchildren. Ian enjoys running, reading, going to the movies with Rhonda and sharing time with his precious family.

Shane Dirks

Executive Minister

Shane Dirks

Executive Minister

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In November 2018, Shane joined the staff team at FAC as the Executive Minister. His previous experience in church leadership provides great support for our Senior Minister, Ian Barnett in accomplishing the Mission and Vision of our church. In overseeing various ministries, especially to families, Shane provides leadership, training, discipleship and pastoral care. He is married to Rachel. They have three children, Levi, Mia and Riley.

Greg Bell

Creative Arts & Music Director

Greg Bell

Creative Arts & Music Director

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Greg joined the ministry team at FAC in September 2014. He is responsible for developing and shaping the culture and content of creative arts and worship to ensure the arts are utilised in the achievement of our mission and vision. Greg is also responsible for providing spiritual and creative leadership to all artists to ensure that the arts ministry is contemporary, inspirational and at all times, God honouring.
Prior to taking up his role at FAC, Greg was Assistant Faculty Head of Music and Song Writing at C3 College Oxford Falls for 5 years. He also brings a wealth of experience in the field, having worked professionally as a musician and music producer for over 10 years in Sydney.
Greg is married to Whitney. They have two beautiful daughters Audrey and Mia, and a good boy named Hugo.

Langdon Stewart

Evangelism Director

Langdon Stewart

Evangelism Director

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As one who got to know Jesus through FAC, Langdon is excited to join the staff in October 2017. In the role as Evangelism Director, Langdon looks forward to celebrating how we are already reaching out, equipping us to keep engaging people with the gospel, encouraging us to be intentional, and championing evangelism and mission. Langdon has served with Evangelism Explosion since 2002 and is fresh from being based in South Carolina for the last 5 years.

Karen Dixon

Executive Manager - Operations

Karen Dixon

Executive Manager - Operations

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Karen was appointed to the position of Executive Manager in 2009, with a very diverse role that sees her responsible for overseeing the operations of FAC. A significant amount of Karen’s role is working with the leadership team for strategic planning and implementation, and for ensuring processes are in place for the smooth functioning of ministries & the facility.
Karen is responsible for ensuring we have compliance systems in place. She also supports Ian in his role, coordinating some of our major church wide events.
Karen & her husband Robert have been members of FAC since 1988. She enjoys reading historical & cultural novels, spending quality time with close friends & her family, especially her two precious grandchildren.

Jo Brain

Connections & Women's Ministry (P/T)

Jo Brain

Connections & Women's Ministry (P/T)

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Jo joined the staff team in May 2018, following a review and restructure that resulted in the creation of this new role. Jo’s mission heart to see people connected into the church family is significant for this role, as she oversees our LifeGroups and activities that support a greater level of connection into the church community and discipleship of members. She is also passionate about women growing in their relationship with God and with others and will be overseeing events and activities that will facilitate this for our church. Together with her husband Tim, Jo has been a long time member of FAC serving and leading in a whole range of ministries over many years. They have two daughters, Jayda and Zoe.

Myles Elton

Youth & Young Adults Minister

Myles Elton

Youth & Young Adults Minister

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Myles is married to Erin and dad to their two daughters, Lucy and Norah, and son Rowan. The family moved to the region at the end of 2015, when Myles was appointed Youth Minister at FAC. He is responsible for leading and shaping the youth ministry, in particular evangelism of youth and discipleship of the FAC youth community. He is also responsible for discipling and caring for youth leaders as they seek to love and care for the youth and recently took on responsibility for overseeing ministry to our young adults.
Prior to FAC, Myles was Youth & Young Adult Pastor at Beverly Hills Anglican Church and Church@thepeak (Peakhurst Church plant). Myles completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Moore College in 2013. Myles enjoys good food, good coffee, & good company - preferably all at the same time!

Thayil John

International Ministries (P/T)

Thayil John

International Ministries (P/T)

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Thayil is married to Rosy. With their two sons Sam & Tim, they arrived in Wollongong from India at the end of 2008, joining FAC in January 2009. Prior to moving to Australia, Thayil had over 30 years of pastoral experience in many parts of Northern India; teaching, evangelism, church planting and discipleship.
Thayil is responsible for developing and establishing a strong church based ministry at KIC (Keiraville International Church) for international students at UOW and the wider community. Thayil was ordained as a Deacon according to the Sydney Anglican Diocese requirement in February 2012 and priested in November 2015.

Peter Clark

Adult & Early Retirees

Peter Clark

Adult & Early Retirees

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Before entering Moore College in 1976, Peter was Personnel Officer at the Nepean College of Advanced Education. After College, he and his wife Heather served in the Armidale Diocese before returning to the Sydney Diocese (Wilberforce, Newport Beach, Hunters Hill then Rector of Waverley Parish), after which time they retired to the Illawarra.
In June 2015, Peter was invited to step out of ‘retirement’ to join the ministry team 2 days a week with a main focus on establishing a ministry among the early retirees & seniors. Peter also assists in pastoral care and writing Bible studies. He is grateful for the opportunity to continue using his experiences for Kingdom work. Peter & Heather were married in 1974. They have 3 children & 8 grandchildren.

Fay Brampton

Pastoral Care (P/T)

Fay Brampton

Pastoral Care (P/T)

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Fay and her husband Des have been faithful members of our FAC community since the early 1990s, attending the 10am service.
A couple of years later Fay joined the dedicated Pastoral Care team and counts it a privilege to work in the valuable, and often behind the scene pastoral care ministry. This small but dedicated team are committed to caring for the whole person with practical, physical and spiritual needs, providing care beyond that which takes place in LifeGroups. Fay is married to Des. They have 3 adult children and 4 precious grandchildren.

Adele Peteranec

Office Manager (P/T)

Adele Peteranec

Office Manager (P/T)

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Adele joined the administration team in 2010, taking on the position of Office Manager in 2012. She is responsible for the broad range of tasks associated with coordinating a very busy front office, which includes organising service support and site maintenance rosters and providing administrative support for ministry events and our Sunday services. She also oversees and encourages some of the wonderful volunteers who assist in the office during the week.
Adele is married to Mario and they have two children, Joshua and Stephanie. She enjoys time with her family, reading, watching movies and participating in Physical Culture.

Denise Roper

Accounts Officer (P/T)

Denise Roper

Accounts Officer (P/T)

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Denise joined the FAC staff team in June 2017. She is responsible for a range of bookkeeping/cash management functions that provide financial administrative support for the efficient running of ministries. She also processes giving to our gift day & mission projects.
Denise brings a wealth of experience in financial roles with a passion for detail & process improvement. She is married to Paul. They have 2 daughters, Joelle and Louise.

Jenny Horsley

Children's Growth Worker (P/T)

Jenny Horsley

Children's Growth Worker (P/T)

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Jenny grew up in Sydney and the Southern Highlands. She is married to Tony and together they have 7 children & 8 grandchildren. They have lived in a number of towns, returning to Wollongong 2014.
Jenny trained as a Food & Textiles High School teacher but has spent the last 30+ years also involved in ministry to kids. She has always had a love of teaching kids & training others to do the same. This passion saw her join the children’s ministry team in 2015, where she counts it a privilege to create a fun environment where kids can learn about Jesus and grow in their faith. Food, gardening, family and kayaking are some of her favourite things (not in that order!)

Hayley Macfarlane

Next Generation Project Coordinator (P/T)

Hayley Macfarlane

Next Generation Project Coordinator (P/T)

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Hayley works under the Next Generation banner coordinating Scripture. Hayley receives much joy working alongside scripture teachers and helpers enabling them to deliver accredited scripture in six local primary schools and two high schools.
Hayley also assists other staff with the development and delivery of both Kid’s Fun Days and the Kid’s Camp with the hope that local kids can have fun whilst hearing about the joy and security they can have in Jesus.
Hayley is married to Pete and together they have two beautiful young girls, Tahlia and Sophie. She is thankful that she has had the privilege to live and work in the Illawarra for the past 10 years.

Melissa Carter

Children's Ministry Assistant (P/T)

Melissa Carter

Children's Ministry Assistant (P/T)

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Melissa commenced in this role in March 2018, bringing a diverse range of administrative experience to the position. She works alongside the rest of the Children’s Ministry team to provide organisation support and the infrastructure that enable the various activities, events and ministries to run efficiently. Melissa is also responsible for maintaining accurate records including compliance with WWC check and SMT. Melissa and her husband David attend the 10am service, together with their 3 children, Abigail, Ezekial and William.

Jordan McIntosh

Communications & Design

Jordan McIntosh

Communications & Design

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After completing her degree in design at Billy Blue College, Jordan was appointed in February 2015 as one of our first 410 Interns. Following completion of her internship, Jordan was appointed into the Communications & Design position, with an expanded responsibility for developing advertising, branding and design solutions across a whole range of FAC ministries. She is also responsible for overseeing the development of our online presence to achieve a higher level of visibility for FAC and is particularly keen to ensure we are using strategies that facilitate effective and creative communication.
Jordan has been a member of FAC for most of her life, with her family belonging to the FAC community for many years. She loves leading Spark on Friday afternoon and being a leader on Kids’ Fun Days and Ignite Camp.

Chloe Winch

Children's Connect 410 Intern

Chloe Winch

Children's Connect 410 Intern

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Chloe has been attending FAC since 2015. She has had a passion for working with kids for some time and loves to see them grow in their faith. Chloe responsible for running our Kids’ Fun Days and Spark. She also assists with the running of our annual Kids’ Camp. Chloe is also excited about what God has in store for her future, as she considers Bible College to extend her knowledge. Chloe also services as a leader at youth group on Friday nights.

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We pray that we will be a faithful, adventurous and compassionate church who seeks to influence all communities with the hope and love of God.

First and foremost, we worship God as the creator of all things. FAC acknowledges the original inhabitants of the land on which we live and work. We pay respect to their elders – past, present and future.